No abstract available.
Humans ; Infant, Low Birth Weight* ; Infant, Newborn ; Pregnancy* ; Premature Birth*

LPS and IFN-r induce nitric oxide synthase in macrophages and the resultant NO causes apoptotic cell death in the activated macrophages. NO production and apoptosis were inhibited by N-monomethyl L-arginine (NMMA), a competitive inhibitor of NO synthase. To study the role of BCL-X proteins, RAW 264.7 cells were transfected with the expression vectors with human bcl-Xl or bcl-Xs cDNAs, respectively. Stable transfectants were selected and confirmed by RT-PCR. NO production in response to LPS and IFN-r caused apoptosis in RAW 264.7 cells and vector transfected control cells within 24 hr. Both NO production and apoptosis were inhibited by N(G)-monomethyl L-arginine (NMMA). In contrast, bcl-Xs transfectant appeared slightly susceptible and bcl-X(L)< transfectant appeared slightly resistant, although NO production was similar to control cells. These results suggest that bcl-X proteins play roles in both positive and negative regulation of apoptosis induced by NO.
Apoptosis* ; Arginine ; bcl-X Protein* ; Cell Death ; DNA, Complementary ; Humans ; Macrophages* ; Nitric Oxide ; Nitric Oxide Synthase

No abstract available.
Humans ; Rectus Abdominis* ; Tissue Donors*

Measurement of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) is one of the useful markers for airway inflammation. It detects NO in exhaled breath, which is increased along airway inflammation such as asthma. While there are a few tests assessing airway inflammation in noninvasive manners, FeNO has many advantages in that it can be measured easily and repeatedly in very short time with accuracy. In addition it reflects eosinophilic airway inflammation with significant correlation with eosinophilia in bronchial biopsy and sputum. The use of FeNO is useful in screening and diagnosis of asthma, prediction of steroid response, estimation of treatment response, and assessment of asthma control. Furthermore dose of medication can be titrated based on FeNO. The measurement of FeNO can play complementary role in asthma management along with pulmonary function test and airway hyperresponsiveness. In addition to asthma, FeNO maybe used for diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic cough. With advent of new and cheap NO analyzer in near future, the use of FeNO could be introduced in routine practice of asthma.
Asthma ; Biopsy ; Cough ; Eosinophilia ; Eosinophils ; Inflammation ; Mass Screening ; Nitric Oxide ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Sputum

No abstract available.

A 2-year-old girl had 2-month history of both secretory otitis media . Nine weeks after the first visit, physical examination revealed a whitish mass behind the intact right tympanic membrane. A CT study showed absence of the right foramen spinosum. The right ICA had an aberrant course running laterally in the middle ear cavity with ossesous canal. The soft tissue density in the normal location of the tympanic segment of facial nerve was markedly enlarged. A diagnosis of aberrant ICA and persistent stapedial artery was made. Vascular mass in the middle ear space are very uncommon. They continue to present a diagnostic problem, as the clinical symptoms and signs are often nonspecific and require radiological investigation to distinguish between glomus tumors, other vascular tumors, a dehiscent jugular bulb and an aberrant internal carotid artery. In approximately one per cent of the population, a dehiscent ICA canal is present and can result in the passing of an aberrant ICA through the middle ear space. The persistent stapedial artery is a rare congenital vascular anomaly that may present as a pulsatile middle ear mass or that may appear as an incidental finding. It is important for the otologist to be aware of this anomaly, as a misdiagnosis can have catastrophic consequences.
Arteries* ; Carotid Artery, Internal* ; Child, Preschool ; Diagnosis ; Diagnostic Errors ; Ear, Middle ; Facial Nerve ; Female ; Glomus Tumor ; Humans ; Incidental Findings ; Otitis Media with Effusion ; Physical Examination ; Running ; Tympanic Membrane

No abstract available.
Bronchial Arteries* ; Hemoptysis*

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of atopy and atopy-related disease has been known to increase during the past decade. OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to evaluate the changes of atopy prevalence among asthmatic patients and the causative allergens. METHOD: A total of 698 asthmatic patients visiting Seoul National University Hospital in 1983, 1990 and 1997 was recruited. Skin prick test with common inhalant allergens was carried out and interpreted as positive when the mean wheal size formed by allergen was larger than 3mm. Atopy was defined when skin reaction to one or more allegens was positive. RESULT: The prevalence of atopy among asthmatic patients was 54% in 1983, 48.8% in 1990 and 53% in 1997, respectively. The prevalence of atopy decreased as the age of patients increased. Recently, old asthmatic patients (>55 years) showed a higher tendency to visit the tertiary referral hospital. When the data were analyzed according to age, the prevalence of atopy significantly increased among asthmatic patients aged 15-35 years, in whom the prevalence was 60.4% in 1983 and 81.3% in 1997 (p<0.05). The positive rate of skin test to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, cat fur, mugwort, ragweed, and grass pollen were significantly higher in 1997 than in 1983 (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of atopy among asthmatic patients aged 15-35 years showed significant increase in 1997 compared to 1983. The changes of skin response to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, cat fur, mugwort, ragweed, and grass pollen contributed to the increase of atopy.
Allergens ; Ambrosia ; Animals ; Artemisia ; Asthma ; Cats ; Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus ; Humans ; Poaceae ; Pollen ; Prevalence* ; Seoul ; Skin ; Skin Tests ; Tertiary Care Centers*

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis is an immunologically mediated disease resulted from repeated exposure to sensitizing agents such as organic dusts or chemicals. We report two cases of familial hypersensitivity pneumonitis diagnosed by typical symptoms, physical findings, chest x-ray abnormalities, and histologic findings with a brief review of the literature. A 60-year-old woman and her 62-year-old husband successively presented with dry cough and exertional dyspnea. These symptoms developed about 20 days after the womon had started feeding cows with stored hay. The same symptoms also developed in her husband when he had handled the stored hay instead of her because of her illness. We confirmed hypersensitivity pneumonitis with bronchoalveolar lavage fluid analysis and open and transbronchial lung biopsies.
Alveolitis, Extrinsic Allergic* ; Biopsy ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; Cough ; Dust ; Dyspnea ; Female ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity* ; Lung ; Middle Aged ; Spouses ; Thorax

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The induction of allergic sensitization is the key process of guinea pig asthma model, but few studies has been done on allergen sensitization per se. We performed to investigate the effect of initial sensitization route on asthmatic reactions in response to subsequent repeated allergen challenges. Subjects and METHODS: Thirteen guinea pigs were sensitized with ovalbumin by intraperitoneal injection(group A) and 14 by exposure to aerosolized ovalbumin(group B) on two occasions separated by 1 week. Animals were challenged by inhalation of stepwise increasing concentration of 0.1, 0.5, 1, and 2% ovalbumin every 2 weeks 5 times. We used Penh (enhanced pause) as an index of airway constriction. Allergen inhalation discontinued when an increase of Penh more than 200%, and provocative concentration of ovalbumin causing a 200% increase in Penh was defined as PC200 Bronchoalveolar lavage and histopathological examination of lung tissue was done 24 after last challenge. RESULTS: On first challenge, 11 (85%) of group A had asthmatic reactions, but only 5 (36%) of group B did. Geographic mean of PC200 was significantly lower in group A than that of group B(0.26% vs. 1.26 %, p<0.01). On repeated allergen challenge, PC200 of group A was relatively unchanged, but that of group B was much variable. Sensitized guinea pig had increased eosinophil infiltration in BAL and there are no differences between group A and B in lang pathology. CONCLUSION: Ovalbumin sensitization by intraperitoneal injection of guinea pig is better than inhalation method in first allergen challenge and unvaried asthmatic reactions on repeated challenges.
Animals ; Asthma* ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage ; Constriction ; Eosinophils ; Guinea Pigs* ; Guinea* ; Inhalation* ; Injections, Intraperitoneal* ; Lung ; Ovalbumin* ; Pathology